Doing the Donkey Roll In the pasture a young miniature donkey romps in the grass It runs circles around the field in a fast frenzy Its tail wags back and forth Its ears stick straight up Then it jumps up kicking its back legs out It lets out a loud squeaky heeee haaaaaw 4
Now it's time to roll It drops down to the ground and lays on a dusty patch With four legs in the air the little donkey rolls from side to side and grunts That feels good Fun Fact Donkeys stomp and paw at grass to make a roll patch a dusty patch of land They cover themselves in dust and dirt It keeps flies away and protects their 5 skin
Miniature Donkey Origins Miniature donkeys came from the Mediterranean region They lived in Northern Africa in ancient times Later they lived on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia off the coast of Italy Morocco Algeria Libya Egypt Miniature donkey origins 6
People used these domesticated animals for work They turned grinding stones to grind grain They pulled carts and hauled water People used their milk too The Mediterranean region surrounds the Mediterranean Sea The donkey's wild relative is the African Wild Ass from northern Africa The donkey was tamed close to 6 000 years ago Few miniature donkeys live in the Mediterranean now They first came to the United States in 1929 In the early 1900s miniature donkeys were used to carry heavy loads Today they are enjoyed more as pets 7
